Should You Buy the JR Pass? Japan Transport Guide

Thanks for making this video. Very helpful! I have watched several of your videos already. I wonder if you could help us decide which rail tickets/pass to buy: We would be visiting Japan in early April 2024: Staying in Tokyo for several days then off to Arima just for a day trip then continue on to Osaka for two nights then to Kyoto for two nights and finally back to Tokyo for 4 more days. I would greatly appreciate any advice and suggestions you could give me. Thanks in advance.

Not worth it to me. This trip I’m only wanting to do Osaka and Tokyo it’s cheaper to fly to Osaka

For the JR pass Is it possible to get it the same day you purchase it if you are already in Japan or it is not possible to get it that quick ?

My wife and I are traveling to Japan for our very first time in March 2024. Directly after arrival at Haneda airport we plan on taking the train to Hakone to spend one night there. We then want to spend 4 days in the Kyoto area and using those days to visit Osaka, Nara and perhaps even Himeji before flying further to Okinawa where we will be staying for one week. Our last 4 days in Japan will be spend in Tokyo. What passes would you recommend?

It's not worth it to do all that traveling. The pass just isn't worth it anymore. If you follow this video's guide, you're just gonna be drained from the constant travel, lugging around your luggage, checking in and out of hotels and AirBnB's and constantly getting lost. Instead, buy plane tickets to one city from your country. Explore around there, go to specialty shops, do your research and eat at amazing restaurants, pre-book shinkansen from ticket shops outside of the train station for discounts to different cities and towns, and then fly out of a different airport back to your country. You'll save a lot of money this way and your trip will be WAYYYYY more enjoyable.

I am going to Japan in November from 1.11 until 17.11.24. So far I am looking at regional passes and domestic flight options but I really want to take JR green pass to experience trains as this will be my first trip to Japan.

My itinerary is more or less complete (95% lol )

Tokyo 4 days
Fuji 1day
Nagano 1day
Kanazawa 2 days
Takayama 1 day
Kyoto 2 days
Hiroshima 1 day
Osaka 1 day


Between Osaka and Sapporo I would love to take a night sunrise express train (Osaka to Tokyo) then from Tokyo to Sapporo indulge myself in Gran Class 🚝 and from Sapporo ( 2 days) fly back to Tokyo and to Europe then.

If I am not buying a JR pass I might change it from 14-15.11 to go to Okinawa with plane and from Okinawa to Sapporo then.

I am torn between taking an green pass 7 days Jr pass taking 14 days of normal JR pass just to avoid hustle or just buying a regional passes which I saw they don’t include green cars.

What do you think?

Regards from Germany 😊

Literally ordered mine the week before the price went up.

It spends. But I would say most traveller's won't find it worthwhile. My 7 day trip ... still in Japan... include tokyo, kyoto, osaka, himeji. I traveled by shinkansen and still not able to use 50000 yen. So you will need to figure out hoq to use 50000 yen in 7 days. Also not every shinkanesn line accept the pass. Since most japanese speak little English, getting on the right train is a challenge.

Hi I m travelling to japan for 7 days and i will go to only kyoto and osaka and headback to tokyo… does it makes sense to take the JR pass or should i opt for individual pass- pls let me know

Video about regional passes would be much appreciated 😊

Hello this video helpt a lot! Can you please advise me if would it be worth getting JR pass for this route: Osaka > Kyoto(daily trip) >Osaka>Tokyo>Osaka for 7 days. Thank you!

Tried before for abt 5000KM travel with 7 day pass, I guess still can save >50% per new price compared to individual ticket.

Last time I was in Japan, I pretty much used the train every day, and travelled as far as Nagasaki (via Kumamoto) and also rode the ferry to Miyajima which the JR pass covers. I first went to Okinawa, then came back to Tokyo and I always plan to travel from Tokyo to somewhere around Himeji on the first day. Next time I visit Japan, I'm thinking of going north to Sapporo from Tokyo, so I hope to be able to get my money's worth out of it.

So is the Nozomi Shinkansen line INCLUDED with the 21-day ($1028AUD) pass? If not there's no way im gonna be using it when I go in Jan-Feb 2024

Hi wanna ask u something..due to jr pass increase currently..we are planning to go japan tokyo,kyoto and osaka total 12days..isit worth it to use jr pass or i dividual train will be better? Need your help n i fo alot🙏

I was using the JR Shinkansen from Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo in April May this year. What I witness in the train is all kinds of ruthless tourists, putting legs up, bags putting at pathway, talking loudly and some was even smoking outside of the smoking room. I was thinking to myself, JR is going to do something about this and true enough, price hiked.

I'm going from Tokyo > Kyoto > Nara > Kyoto > Takayama > Tokyo
Please advise if i should get a 7days JR pass? Or any website recommended so i can calculate the cost?

I have used it many times next trip will fly and take local trains they are beautiful trains not as fast but fun to ride .I am done with pass not worth it

Just ditch the pass, they are forcing you to waste time looking out at the window on the the Shinkansen.
Going all the way to Kyushu from Tokyo just to cover the distance and make myself feel worth it is the last thing that I would do. Apparently domestic flight is way better.

No doubt their trains are cool but no way Im gonna spend half a day in there.

Thank you for the guide from Tokyo to Mt Fuji.. what if after Fuji, we then plan to hit Universal in Osaka for a couple of days and then back to Tokyo? Seems the Wide passes don't quite capture all 3. All busses maybe?

I sincerely hope no one adopts a "worth it" itinerary just to make use of the JR Pass. There are far better passes out there that will allow you to explore places in your own pace & save money at the same time, like the JR-West All Area Pass that lets you travel between Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kanazawa, Toyama and more for 7 days and it only costs 26,000 yen (more or less half the price of the JR Pass!).

We(me, my wife and 8 year old son) are traveling to Japan in Jan 2024. We start off in Osaka for 4 days, planning on a day trip to Kyoto from Osaka. We are then traveling to Mt Fuji to spend 2 days there, then onto Tokyo for 7 days and we plan on doing a day trip from Tokyo up north (Nagano) to one of the ski resorts. Would the JR pass be worth it for us then, we would purchase 14 day passes? Would be good to see a video or pointed in the right direction with regard to what “free attractions” are available with the JR pass as we are struggling to find this to ensure the pass is actually worth it?

meh round trip from tokyo to osaka is already 200 and round from osaka to hiroshima is 150..not including kyoto,himeji,kobe,nara. how is that not worth it? id say 7 days pass is still worth it if u use it around and outside osaka

More itineraries please!

Can I use the Jr East Tohoku pass in going to Nagano?

Individual JR fares have risen very little, and sometimes not at all. I had a 21 day pass in April this year, from Takamatsu to Morioka, stopping at Osaka, Yokohama, Nikko, Nagano, Matsumoto while heading north, and from Morioka to Narita on the last day. The pass was good value for this itinerary then, but not anymore. I doubt if I'll buy one on my next trip to Japan.

Thank you for this! We are travelling for 3 weeks and I’m still hesitant about buying the JR pass or not! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Here’s our itinerary:
Tokyo for 4 days
Hakone for 2 days
Kyoto for 3 days
Koyasan for 2 days
Osaka for 3 days
Takamatsu(art islands) for 2 days
Back to Tokyo for 3 days

Thanks in advance

Are you basing individual tickets on the fastest Shinkansen, such as Nozomi on the Tokaido/Sanyo lines? If so the travel times would work. I am under the understanding the new Pass allows access to Nozomi, but you pay extra for it. Based on that fact, unless my plans are to travel frequently I don’t think the Pass is worth it any more as a cost saver. If all I want is convenience and the ability to book seats online early I might pay.

What about if you go from Tokyo to various places in the Tohoku region? Would like to go to yhe fox village and some onsen

not worth it anymore, there are plenty of other options to save money; from buses, local trains, flights to ferries (plus specific discount for short trips like Nikko, Hakone, etc etc). Tokyo to Fukuoka to make your JR pass worth.... so you spend basically everyday travelling non stop, going at a really fast pace and moving your suitcase around.
What about a video showcasing all different alternatives to JR pass? because let's face it, it's dead.

TLDR Yes, in 2022😂

some of the regional passes have also lost their value. Not only have the prices increased but they have also removed flexibility from some of them. The JR East passes used to be any 6 or 7 days (depending on the particular one) within a 14 day period which meant you can take your time at each of the places you visited. It also meant you do some sight seeing then have a a week of skiing and then do more sight seeing (or use the shinkansen to get back to Tokyo). Now they've changed them to 6 consecutive days means to get the value out of it you have to be constantly on the move between towns and cities travelling everyday

I've been to Japan three times now and I've relied on Tokyo Cheapo every single time. You guys give such great advice, practical tips, and deals. I really appreciate all you do for us. Thank you.

New prices definitely not worth in my opinion, but absolutely would love to see new itinerary vids, I'd really love to see some out from Osaka as well!

I'm still am . 21 days Tokyo to Kagoshima, Kagoshima to Nakasaki,Nakasaki to Osaka . Day trips from Osaka, Osaka to Sendai ( day trip to Aomori) , Sendai to Sapporo, Sapporo to Hakodate, Hakodate back to Tokyo. plus some days left for day Trips from Tokyo .

It really depends on how you travel, whether you’ve been to Japan before perhaps and even if you consider the rail journey as exciting and part of the trip. We are often on the first Shinkansen of the day leaving a place which often means we’re at the destination before many things are open. We also travel light (carry on only) so luggage isn’t a big deal. Most of the Shinkansen lines offer fantastic views so I love it. I’ve no desire to stay in the bigger cities of Japan anymore so a full day/night in a smaller area is often enough (can always return).

wow its really not worth it now

Those new prices are a joke.

With so much to explore in Japan, it's almost too rushed to visit more than 2 (or even just 1!) major cities within a week unless you intended to do 1-/2-day excursions to utilize the JR Pass effectively. But even if that's the case, it's probably a better deal to take overnight bus to cover these many cities and save on hotel costs.